The Abandoned Shinigami
by DokuroTenshi
Summary: Its not my first choice to be running away from some girl crazy shinigami intent on mowing me to bits. And it certainly is not in my list to prevent the world from some demon invasion. Seriously why do all the weird things have to happen to me?
1. That shinigami, recovered

**A/N: Hi hi! Nice to know that you've found my first ever Kuroshisuji fanfiction, The Abandoned Shinigami. (^w^) I hope you people enjoy it, and please be kind to me~ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I'm not awesome enough to own it... Oh well, on with the show~! **

"So that's basically the gist of it then! So you gonna help or not?"

I looked up irritatibly from my book. This idiot was blocking my light. Holding my sunhat firmly in one hand so that my eyes would be completely obscured from the glare of the sun, I looked up at the guy standing in front of me. He was standing there with his hands in his pockets, grinning in what he must think was a charming way. Honestly, I just found it annoying. I turned back to my book.

"Go away. You're interrupting my reading."

"Aww c'mon, I said I was lost! You're not gonna help?"

"No, I'm not."

"Are you gonna just leave me here lost then?" the blonde boy demanded, plopping himself down beside me on the bench. I looked up once again at the boy. He had carefully curled blonde hair arranged in a casual disarray on top of his head. Strangely enough, the hair on the nape of his neck was jet black. Huh. Perhaps the blonde part was just a wig. His startlingly glowing green eyes were watching me expectantly behind a large pair of black rimmed glasses. Sighing, I closed my book shut. The fastest way to get rid of him would obviously be to help him out, since he's so insistently pushy.

"Fine… Where do you want to go?" I asked him wearily, watching his face break into an exultant smile.

"Excellent! My name is Ronald Knox," the boy said, completely ignoring my question and holding out his hand in way of greeting.

"I asked for the place you're going. Not your name!"

"Ah well, I thought it would be polite to introduce myself first. You're not the friendliest person on the planet are you?"

I could feel my eyes widening at his words. Seriously? He comes here to ask for directions and now he's insulting me? As I opened my mouth to utter something snappish back, he cut me off.

"Well, I'm looking for 53 East Reiler Road, House number er…. 34 I think? Ahh all the houses look the same around here!" Ronald whined, scowling adorably. I stared at him, my eyes wide. That house? My suspicious instinct peaked. There was definitely something very odd about this boy.

"What do you want from there?" I asked carefully, trying to keep my voice level.

"Ah, I have a… Meeting with the person who lives there. So to say," He said, chuckling slightly as if his words were in any way funny. I stood up, my heart hammering.

"Eh, wait, I've still got time," Ronald said, consulting his fancy silver wristwatch. "Let's go out for some tea first!" Too stunned to protest, I simply stumbled blindly after him as he gently pulled me by the hand to a nearby teahouse.

Obviously the suspicious boy was ecstatic that I was finally accepting his advances. As he gently set me down in one of the chintz chairs, I began to be able to calm myself down. He might be just a normal flirt. Yeah, just some normal guy with odd eyes, strange hair and disturbing behaviour. As we waited for the tea to come (ordered by Ronald since I was beyond talking at the moment) Ronald started to chatter.

"You know, you're really quiet. Are you shy?" he winked at me "its ok, I won't bite".

….Um eww. If this guy wasn't freaking me out so much, I might actually feel disgusted.

"Hey, can you keep a secret?" I paled at his words. Oh no oh no "Actually the truth is, I'm visiting that house for something more important than just some meeting. The person living there is dying so I'm going there to do my job. Because I'm a-"

Shinigami." I knew it.


	2. That shinigami, apprehensive

**A/N: Update~ Sorry if its a bit short... Ehehe I wanted to leave a bit of an interesting cliffhanger... The next chapter will be jam packed with lots of awesome-ness though~ Let me promise you (^w^) Please read and review! Else, I'd feel lonely... TT^TT** **Okkay enjoy~**

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"Ahaha. Do you seriously expect me to believe that?" I forced myself to laugh, pulling my sunhat lower over my eyes.

"Well, you can choose to believe it or not I suppose," the blonde said carelessly, smirking slightly and tilting back his chair. "Say, why do you keep pulling on that hat of yours? I can't see your pretty eyes that way."

Choosing not to answer his question, I lent back from the boy's piercing green eyes and pushed my chair back, blushing slightly. I'm getting very creeped out right now. I have either a very confused person in front of me or an actual shinigami. Personally, despite all the signs, I'm hoping it's the first. I knew that this was gonna happen one day, but I must have been subconsciously wishing for it not to. Well, a girl can dream can't she?

"Well, if what you say is true, then we should go there now. I doubt you'd want to be late," I said curtly to him hopping up from my seat and making my way, none too subtly, towards the door of the café.

"But we've still got time! And the tea's not even here yet!"

I turned to watch the bewildered teen follow me begrudgingly through the door, weaving around the other, staring customers. I marched straight towards the house Ronald was looking for. After all, I knew it by heart. And I knew how to stop this.

"Hey do you want me to hold your hand? You seem to be stumbling a lot. Is that hat so low that you can barely see now?"

"Th-That's, not necessary!" I snapped, blushing furiously at his comment. My sense of balance had nothing to do with my hat but more of my short sighted vision. As if I was going to admit that to him. "Anyway, we're already here".

"Oh, we are? Wow, it was so near and I still couldn't find it… Lucky you know the place well. Thanks for the directions anyway-"

"I live here."


	3. That shinigami, determined

**A/N: Woo updates~ My com's been acting up so writing's been tiring haiz~ I know that this might be a little crappy and the grammar might be all over the place...( me english teacher is always hung up on me cos of it) But please enjoy it and review! TTFN~**

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I watched Ronald's face go blank for a second with surprise.

"Really? You're Mary Anne Hanglin? No waaaay~ I could've sworn her picture made her look older. Huh. Maybe you're just not that photogenic…"

"No," I snapped, getting more ticked off by the second. Out of all the shinigamis to destroy the peace of my life, they had to send THIS one. "I live there, but I'm not the one you're looking for. My name is Reisen Howell. You could say that I'm sort of her adoptive daughter, since she's like a mother to me," I said, putting more feeling into my voice than I did all day. However to my disgust, the blonde in front of me merely yawned slightly.

"Wooow. That's er, too bad for you then. Well, I've gotta do my job then sorry~"

"As if I'm gonna let you through. Haven't I already mentioned that the person inside is very precious to me?"

Ronald stared at me incredulously for a minute, his mouth open slightly. "Seriously? You think that you can stop me and save her? This is nature. That person is going to die and I'm gonna collect her soul. No point arguing"

"No. There is a way. Write her down as valuable to the world. Then, she can continue to live."

"…. Whaaaat? Can you even imagine the amount of paperwork involved for something like that? I might die! William would totally chop my head off! I mean, she's only valuable to you right? Cmon~ Wait. Where'd you get information like that? Humans aren't supposed to know that sort of thing." Ronald said slowly, suspicion dripping from his words.

"Well maybe I'm not just a human," I whispered almost inaudibly. "I'll do anything possible to save that person." I tilted my hat back, lifting my chin in an almost arrogant manor, staring at him full on for the first time since we've met. Showcasing my bright, glowing yellow-green eyes. Exactly like his.

" Even if it means that I have to physically stop you."

I watched Ronald jump back a step, his jaw threatening to drop off. I had enough strength for this. Even though, I'm without my precious death scythe, I'm sure I could take him. After all, he's not that big and he looks pretty inexperienced…

"Your eyes… A shinigami? And no glasses…So you're a deserter then?"

"I retired."

"You look to young to retire."

"... I am. Long story short, I couldn't take it. I was alone all the time. All alone, with only the dying for company. I had to watch death after death, lives that had meant so much to their hosts end before my eyes. You have friends for relax and comfort. I had no one. It was enough to drive me crazy. So now I'm here. Protecting this human lady who was like a mother to me, who took me in when she found me wandering and alone… Wait. WHY AM I TELLING YOU MY LIFE STORY ANYWAY? I BARELY KNOW YOU! Ugh, whatever, just give it up. Now."

"… So, you're gonna fight me then? To prevent her soul from being taken? Are ya gonna kill me to save another?" Ronald asked mockingly.

"Hmph. I'm gonna just force you into submission. Blood doesn't need to be spilt. So 'ya gonna' agree now?"

"As if," Yanking his hand from behind him, Ronald produced a large flashy red lawnmower from literally out of thin air.

For a second, I stood there shocked. Its been so long since I've seen someone summon their death scythe (at least I think it is) I've almost forgotten what it was like. As I read the name plate that read, 'DEATH SCYTHE' on the front f the lawnmower, I felt the giggles rising in me. Watching his proud expression as he rested his hand on the lawnmower, (probably thinking that I'd be terrified now that he'd taken out his ultimate weapon) pushed me over the edge. I burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching my sides to keep my self upright.

"What…is…..that?" I asked in-between giggles. "A lawnmower? Seriously? A lawnmower riding shinigami! First I've heard of it. Wow, what happened since I've been gone~?"

Flushing red, the bespectacled blonde boy patted his machine with his blindingly white oxford shoe. "This is my state of the art death scythe." The he smirked, his eyes burning with deviousness, expression promising violence. "Better get a good look at it since, its likely to be the last thing you're gonna see."

Hearing my breath stop, his smirk turned into a full blown grin.

"It'll be easier to give up now. After all, I've got only ten minutes." Ten? Only ten? I'd better make it fast then. Ten very precious minutes that could determine the fate of all.

~~~Ronald's POV~~~

It was quite hilarious really. An unarmed shinigami would be easy to defeat with my deathscythe. Her determination was kind of cute though. She actually believed that she could stop me. Has she been away from HQ for so long that she forgot about things like this? Shinigami are never to meddle with the lives of humans. Even if they were no longer on the force. But I could see it in her pretty glowing green eyes. Her steely determination. This girl has no intention of letting me pass. And I had no intention of getting overtime. Plus, she made fun of my lawnmower. That, I cannot forgive. I ran forward, pulling up my lawnmower. It's been a while since I've fought, but I'm not going to lose. Its alright… It'll be over in ten minutes.

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**Hehe, the next chapter will feature the actual fight scene that I will try to write to the best of my ability! Look forward to it! Ole~**


	4. That shinigami, fighting

**A/N: Fight scene~ I tried to write it as best as I could without copying quotes from old kung-fu movies XD... So pelase enjoy it and review~! Btw, big thank yous to all those readers that have reviewed so far! ^3^ **

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I could feel my heart rate accelerate as the blonde boy sped towards me, lawnmower held over the shoulder. I dodged a heavy blow from the deathscythe, knocking my hat off by accident and releasing my waves of billowing bright orange hair. Slightly disoriented by my own quick movement, I barely turned in time to hold off another blow from the deathscythe. Gripping it firmly by the sides, keeping careful distance of my fingers from the swirling blades, I struggled to push the deadly instrument from my face.

"Heh. In the end, I'm still stronger. Wanna give up now? I'm not to keen on hurting a girl you see," I heard Ronald say from somewhere behind the lawnmower. Anger boiled up inside me as I imagined the smirk that must be adorning his face at the moment. Yes, he was certainly stronger, but I was more experienced.

"This is why I dislike guys," I snarled through clenched teeth. Using my push on the lawnmower as support, I planted my left foot firmly on the soft grass of the front lawn and swung my right towards his torso. Caught unaware, my foot connected with his stomach, sending him flying backwards. As he flew, I flipped, landing my hands on his shoulders and spun him around, shoving him, face first, into the ground.

"Never. Underestimate a woman," I hissed. Jumping up, I retreated a few steps to survey the situation carefully. Catching himself before he plummeted towards the ground, Ronald used the handle of his lawnmower to change the momentum to his benefit. He cartwheeled, landing with otherworldly grace that only a shinigami was capable of, he turned to face me again, face flushed slightly from the activity.

"Nice to know that your skills haven't deteriorated. This fight would be a lot more fun if you still have your deathscythe. But I'm gonna get serious now. Since there's really no time." Ronald said, the underlying threat eminent in his words as he held up his wrist watch, the smirk never leaving his visage.

With a slightly barbaric roar, Ronald lounged for me again. As I watched him get closer, I felt the adrenaline rush through me. I could feel my shinigami instincts raising the bloodlust in me until I could taste it on my tounge. The desire to watch his blood spill. My perceptive changed as I embraced my killer instinct, necessary for me to survive and win this fight, rusty from time and weaponless. In all the years of my negligence towards training, luckily, my fighting instinct has not faded in the slightest. I was dancing, and he was my noisy, garden tool wielding partner. I couldn't tell if he had sensed a change in me, trough the haze in my head that clouded all my other reason. I couldn't care less anymore. My whole body and mind wanted me to win, to live in the moment.

However, a small part of me remained sane. Through the haze that clouded my eyes, I could still see Ronald's face, tight with tension, sometimes eyes wide with shock. Probably amazed at how an unarmed female ex-shinigami could do so much damage. A tiny, miniscule part that screamed at the rest of me to remember. I was not fighting for the sake of killing the reaper. Sure he was annoying, but killing him was not the point. I was doing this to save my beloved mother. I was doing this because I had ran. Because I didn't want to see death anymore, ironically enough. I had to break out of it. _Stop. Stop. STOP!_

"Haaah," I exhaled in surprise as my mind cleared and I was myself once more. I found myself sitting on his chest, his arms pinned underneath my legs. My hand, inches from his face, was armed with the golden hilted dagger he had tried to throw at me before, unwittingly arming me with it. His face was turned away from me, with his right cheek pressed on the grass, cringing away from the blow he expected to come. I stared around us. The lawn was dotted with slight droplets of blood, contributed most likely from the both of us, with slashes both deep and shallow, gracing our skin and torn clothes. Blood. Oh no, what was I doing? I didn't realize how bad the situation was until I had finally opened my eyes to it. My armed hand started to shake. I tried to pull it away, but my arm didn't seem to feel like responding. As I sat there frozen in place, I could feel the hysterics building up in me. I saw it all again. Again and again, faces of the dying flashed in my mind. I shuddered, wincing away from the unwelcomed memories.

"Hey are you going to get off me anytime soon? I-" Ronald demanded suddenly, from underneath me. As I turned my attention back on him, the wind picked up, swirling both of our hair and floating a wad of my slightly torn sundress into his mouth, choking off whatever else he had to say.

"…" Feeling a familiar blush creep over my cheeks, I realized that I was literally sitting with my legs spread, (suggestively in another point of view), on his chest. I dropped the knife instantly, flushing madly at this social faux pas. As I moved to clamber off of the boy, another sound locked both me and Ronald into place. A high, blood-curdling scream of pure agony.

Our ten minutes was up.


	5. That shinigami, crying to the moon

**A/N: Uhuhu~ In this chapter, we finally bring in another familiar face! I was really looking forward to this chapter so ^w^ I had a really good bout of inspiration so this chapter is long and others are gonna be uploaded (hopefully) quickly...So, I hope it pleases you~ Please review cos it makes me feel loved~ 3**

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I scrambled off Ronald and ran helter-skelter into the house. "Mother? Mother?" I heard my voice cry breaking slightly in stress. My conscious self felt slightly more detached from the rest of me, imagining all the horrors that could have happened to her. My breath caught in my throat as I heard an odd squelching noise under my feet. Almost all of the dark brown, hard wood parquet flooring was stained red with warm blood. Blood was still flowing, from the small curled up figure in the middle of the living room. For a second I wondered how so much blood could have emerged from such a small person. Then, I sprang into action. Her soul hadn't been taken yet, there was still hope. I quickly turned over her still body, trying to determine the source of the blood. A low gasp from behind me made me twitch slightly.

"Whoa…" came Ronald's low voice. Unfortunately, for once I had to agree with him. There was a large gash directly at her heart, leaving blood to escape her body I torrents leaving its host pale and somewhat bloodless. But her eyes were the worst. Mary Anne Hanglin's eyes no longer sparkled. Those large green orbs that looked so similar to mine (without the twinge of yellow) no longer held that radiant light of joy that made them glow like lanterns. Its beauty that used to far outstrip my own was gone. Now those eyes held nothing, just the shock of death. Still, holding its blank soulless stare.

"She's dead," I exclaimed stupidly, stating the blatant obvious. "H-How can that be?"

"No way….Her soul's gone…" Ronald said in a slightly awestruck voice, staring at the blood soaked corpse. _Gone._ _Gone_. _In the end…I couldn't save her… Soulless… Now there's nothing to save._ I felt the warm sticky blood cling itself to my skin and clothes, but I was beyond caring at the moment. The room was dark, as evening turned to night, our shadows elongated from the light of the moon, making the scene look more and more like a horror movie set. Walking over to the still, lifeless form of Mary Anne, Ronald gingerly sniffed it and almost instantly recoiled from the odor.

"Demon!" Ronald choked out, covering his mouth with a gloved hand. "A demon stole the soul… How did it get past us?"

"Stop it." I snarled at him, my eyes welling up in tears. I couldn't, didn't want to be anywhere near this body anymore. After all, it was no more than just a body now. "Don't you dare refer to her as just a soul".

"You know what, this entire thing is your fault. If you hadn't meddled, she wouldn't have had her soul stolen and I wouldn't have to face overtime! Now look at this, Will is going to murder me for letting a soul slip away!" Ronald snapped back, his voice cold and irritated. I slowly stepped around him and walked out back to the lawn. I tried hard to ignore the truth in his harsh words although they reverberated loudly in my head. I refused to sort out the rolling turmoil in my head. I tried to stifle my sobs as I looked at the moon, trying to lose myself in its light. I turned though as a sudden sound of a roaring lawnmower called for my attention.

My eyes widened as I saw the scene in front of me. Ronald, the blonde part of his hair glinting like a beacon in the moonlight, stood behind his lawnmower, his expression promising violence.

"You're not just going to run away are you?" He asked, voice low and deadly. He had a cruel smirk adorning his handsome face with his tongue peeking from between his teeth. I shrank back slightly, startled by his violent expression. "You just scored me overtime, an apology letter and a sure scolding from my superiors. Not to mention that our fight hasn't ended yet. Don't ya think you should claim some responsibility?"

"I have no reason to fight anymore. My reason died with her."

"Good. Then just stand there so I can shred you." As his smirk morphed into a wolfish grin, I wheeled around and bolted snatching my sunhat off the grass and ramming it back on my head as I ran. Quite unlike me, its true, but don't hold it against me. I had just spent the last three to four years learning to be the perfect London belle so as to properly blend into society. It had to rub off sometime. Like, running and screaming in terror when there was a blonde, very pissed, madman armed with a lawnmower on your trail, intent on mowing you to bits. And not having enough power or will left in me to invoke my killer side may also be a contributing factor to my current cowardice.

As I ran full pelt down the road, I heard, rather distantly, the sound of hooves clacking against the cold stone ground of the London streets. Changing my course towards the sound, I continued to run, feeling the eyes of my angry stalker never once leaving my back. Where there were horses, there was sure to be people. If there were people, Ronald wouldn't take the risk of attacking me and revealing himself to the public. Failing to hold the secret of the shinigami to the masses would deem a much worse punishment for Ronald than some extra paperwork.

But of course, lo and behold, my luck was holding out on me again. The street was completely empty, save for one midnight blue carriage, pulled by two magnificent palmino horses. As it passed by me, to my utter surprise, the driver pulled the carriage to a stop. Jumping off the pedestal, the old driver approached me cautiously.

"Miss? Miss are you ok?"

My answer to him was cut off as another figure emerged from the carriage. He was small yet held quite a great presence, even in the dim light of the moon. The boy was dressed from head to toe in blue, matching the carriage. His tall top hat contributed to much of his height, but even so, it didn't so much as graze the ceiling of the carriage. His richly woven, dark blue coat protected the expensive clothes he wore underneath it. As the moonlight toughed his petite figure, I saw that his hair underneath the top hat was a curious grey. His small face seemed leached white in the light, and looked much too beautiful for a boy.( although he obviously was, due to his shape and choice of clothes)

"Tanaka. Why did we stop?" The beautiful boy asked imperiously.

"My apologies young master. Its just that this lady here seems very harassed and lost," The driver replied, his voice crisp and businesslike. Then he turned to me, concern eminent in the folds of his wrinkles.

"We are not the Yard, Tanaka." The boy said, addressing the old man. Then turning to me, he's eyes raked over my blood splattered clothes and my overall woebegone state. Smirking slightly, he continued. "I'm sorry but you should look for the Scotland Yard to solve your problems, not me."

"I'm not asking anything from you," I said, panting slightly from all the running. Inside, I was already becoming more relaxed. I couldn't hear any more pursuit behind me for the moment. He must have given up when he realized that I was in the presence of humans. As I smirked slightly at the thought of losing my stalker, a shout sent me nearly jumping out of my skin.

"You didn't actually think you lost me did'cha?" A loud voice called from behind me. All three of us turned to watch the fast approaching black-clad figure, riding on that turbo powered lawnmower of his. His shock of blonde hair stood out clearly in the dimly lit street.

"That's…" the boy said, quietly. I turned to see his one visible eye widening in… Recognition? As I was about to put my judgment down as absurd, the boy turned to me, whipping his head around so fast, his top hat threatened to fall off.

"Get in the carriage".


	6. That shinigami, taken in

**A/N: Woo CIEL~ Ah, I love this part~ Especially the ending ehehehe... **

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Glancing back at the fast approaching figure, I didn't need telling twice. I clambered into the carriage after the boy. The driver, Tanaka, quickly returned to his post and urged the horses forward, wearing a self-satisfied smirk. As the carriage moved, I turned to the grey haired boy in front of me. He was glancing out the window at our pursuer. As his gaze moved back to me, I noticed that his right eye was hidden beneath a black eyepatch obscured slightly by his long fringe. Hmm, maybe he was into pirate dress up? That should be normal for a kid his age I suppose… Once again, his gaze took in my torn bloody clothes and matted orange hair. I blushed slightly, pulling my hat further down. It was slightly embarrassing to be seen in this state by anyone, especially a noble (as I assumed from his lavish clothes) even if that said noble was a little boy.

"What does that reaper want from you?" the boy asked carefully, keeping me constantly in his sight with that one brilliant blue eye. If it was possible, I think my face just went paler.

"What reaper? That's not a reaper, he's just your common blonde, madman armed with a lawnmower~" I said, my voice unnaturally high. A slightly hysterical giggle burst through my pressed lips. Smirking at my discomfort, the boy glanced out of the window again at Ronald.

"Well, if its just any madman, its really none of my business is it? In that case, you can get off now. I'm sure the Yard would be happy to help when the find your dead body in the morning."

I narrowed my eyes at the still smirking boy. So it was going to be blackmail now eh?

Raising my eyebrow slightly, I glared at the small figure in front of me. "What does such a small child know about shinigami huh?"

"A bit," His smirk got wider. "I know that its chasing you for one."

"Well, that's true."

"And it can't be to collect your soul or you'd already be dead or dying… So, I'm guessing that it wants something from you?"

"I guess you can say that…"

"And he wants that something very badly."

I sighed, remembering Ronald's furious expression. "Yes, he's unnaturally determined to get it…" Suddenly, he's slightly devious grin turned into the completely angelic smile of an innocent child.

"Then I'll help protect you. You can stay at my mansion then, you'll be safe there. Although I don't let people stay for free, on any account unless of course that person in nobility. You will then wor-" Wait, I needed to interrupt. I lost him at the protection part.

"Why would you want to protect me form the shinigami?"

"Because that reaper wants you. So if I keep you, he'll never get what he wants!" pausing to snigger slightly, he continued "Tormenting that reaper seems like an interesting way to pass the time so, why not? I never let such…Golden opportunities pass me by easily."

~~~~Ronald's POV~~~~

I watched the carriage disappear into the distance, waaay too tired to keep up and already getting over my brief spout of anger. Slumping against the handle of the lawnmower, I groaned internally. Aww man, I'm gonna get totally fried by Will… Maybe I should tell him that its all her fault… Yeah… As I thought about pushing the blame on her, my mind wandered. She was certainly intriguing enough. I've never met anyone who wanted to stand up to death before like she did. So delicate and doll like but possessing such incredible power. Especially considering that she's unarmed for the most part and in self-proclaimed retirement for some time now. I loved the way her hair billowed around her face as she fought, the orange colour contributing to her overall fiery style of fighting. How pretty her eyes were, framed with long dark lashes narrowed in concentration. Her full, kissable lips, a soft peach colour, innocent yet tantalizing… My tired mind let my more romantic side get the better of me as I reviewed the situation in a different light. A heart-thumping fight. A hot blooded chase with the beautiful maiden as the target… Aww man, I did it again….

"I think I'm in love~" I sighed dreamily to the full moon.

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**kuhuhu~ I was gonna put in more fluff actually but I'm just not that adept at writing fluffy stuff . I hope this satisfies the Ronnie fans out there! Please review~! Ta ta!**


	7. That shinigami, hired

**A/N: I'm writing this when I should be doing my mountain load of homework (sadistic teachers TT^TT) but, it can't be helped I suppose~ I have the attention span of a squirrel when it comes to homework XD Anyway, enough of my ranting~ Half of this chapter is told in the perspective of everyone's favourite demon butler~ So yeah, enjoy! **

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~~~Sebastian's POV~~~

I felt relief when I heard the Young Master's demanding call for my presence. Obviously, anyone would feel relief if they were given an excuse to escape this death trap of a kitchen. Now, even as he thought that, that useless excuse for a chef, Bard, was looking for an appropriate way to play with his flamethrower while under the deluded impression that he was actually cooking. And scolding him would only invoke one of his long, tiresome rants. Honestly, humans can be so tiring.

Fleeing the mess in the kitchen, I threw an order for a clean up to the hiding staff before continuing up to the Young Master's study. Preparing myself for a brief knock before letting myself in, my sensitive nose took in a different scent on the other side of the door. The scent of blood and soil mixed in with sweat. Forgive me if it sounded disgusting phrased in that manner. As I pushed the elegant dark mahogany wood door open, my peripheral vision took in the scene in front of me. My Young Master, sitting behind his desk, looking as annoyed and tiny as ever glaring at me while impatiently tapping his fingers against the desk's teak wood surface. Not the source of the scent. Instead, there was another figure in the room.

A girl of about eighteen years of age was standing near to the doorway. Preferring maybe not to sit, most likely due to her soiled clothes. She was small without being short and quite reasonably well proportioned. Her blindingly orange hair came down in waves around her shoulders. She was wearing a wide brimmed sunhat adorned with a classic black and white bow, despite being indoors. Her hat was pulled low over her face, casting most of her facial features in its shadow. Her seemingly black eyes (colour quite indiscernible from the shadow) were kept carefully apathetic as she surveyed me. Her full lips were pulled down very slightly, as if in calculating distaste. Her soft billowing blue sundress ended just after her knees, revealing the lower part of her legs and her red ballet-flats. Her sundress was ripped slightly in places and splattered with blood and soil. Fascinatingly enough, not once since I stepped in did she look away from my face.

"You're late Sebastian. Come quicker when I call next time." Young Master said irritatibly.

"My apologies Master," I murmured sinking into a low bow before the brat- I mean young boy.

With a slight "harrumph", the Young Master turned away from me to look at the girl. I looked from the master to the girl and back to him. Raising a white gloved hand to hide my mouth, I started to snicker.

"Well well well, cheating on Miss Elizabeth already are we?" The look on Young Master's face was priceless. His cheeks gleamed red from embarrassment as he rounded on me with a snarl.

"O-Of course not! How dare you suggest that! I'd never… I am a respectable gentleman Sebastian!" The red faced Young Master declared, his fist coming down on the tabletop.

"Oh, are you implying something about my inability to seduce you?" the orange haired girl piqued up, making the boy turn, if possible, even redder.

"Wha- No I'm not…Wait… THAT IS NOT THE POINT HERE! SEBASTIAN!"

"Yes of course bocchan," I said, bowing slightly again, my amusement holding my smirk in place. This girl had promise in tormenting my Master.

"Ahem, back to business. You are to work as a maid here for now. As I've said before, I don't let people stay for free. Sebastian will assure you of your safety while you reside here. " I turned my head slightly to look at the girl. She was certainly no noble, that was obvious. As I watched her, she tore her eyes almost unwillingly from my face to answer the Young Master.

"Yes… My little Lord Phantomhive," the girl said, the corners of her mouth pulling up into a smirk at her words.

"Sebastian. For the sake of my game, you will keep this girl safe. That is an order." Game? What kind of game now? Keeping to the aesthetics of an elegant butler, I bowed in response although my burning eyes betrayed my raging curiosity.

"Are you sure you don't want to know…?" the girl asked the Young Master, letting her question trail off.

"It holds no concern of mine. As long as I get to play with them a bit, I don't really care. Now for starters, why don't you take off that infernal hat? You've been wearing it this entire time."

In response, the girl casted me a slightly terrified look and pulled the hat further down instead.

"I-I can't…"

"Don't be ridiculous, you can't do your duties as a maid with it on. Sebastian, take it off her." At my Master's words that gave no care to the whims of the girl, I walked over to her.

"Noo… Argh," the girl whimpered clutching on to the hat, as if for dear life. For a small female, she seemed to posses an amazing amount of strength. As I tugged and she pulled, it took slightly longer than usual to remove the offending piece of headwear. At its removal, the girl immediately squeezed her eyes shut as if afraid of the light. Not noticing her discomfort, the Young master carried on with his next order.

"Sebastian, carry out the usual preparations for a new addition to the staff. Assign her a room and introduce her to the others. Now hurry, I want chocolate gateau for dessert."

At the indication that she had to move, the girl's shoulders slumped and she unwillingly peeled her eyes open. She raised a hand, to block her eyes from my view, but I already saw. Green and yellow eyes, glowing unlike any normal human's. My own eyes widened. A shinigami here? Is playing maid and butler a new hobby for them? And the Master even asked me to protect her?

"You're… A shinigami?" I questioned, looking at the girl.

"What?" Came the Young Master's sharp, shocked voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't you ask?" The girl snapped back, a slight twinge of helplessness in her voice.

~~~~Reisen's POV~~~~

Everyone, that being the butler Sebastian and Ciel, turned to stare at me, eyes bulging out of their sockets. As if neither of them had never seen a shinigami before. In my tired, bloodsplatered state, I was certainly not in the mood to deal with situations like this. Personally, I would much rather retire to the bed he promised and deal with this whole thing in the morning. Come to think of it, I think I left my book at that café just now…

Watching both of their shocked faces, I snapped. "Should you really be looking at me like that? I wouldn't have thought that the oh-so-knowledgeable boy and his freaky demon butler would have this kind of reaction. Ironic isn't it?"

Seeming to snap out of their frozen state, the demon butler himself answered my words. "Of course we would be shocked. No one would have expected a death god to appear in such a dirty, unkempt state on their doorstep." He said smoothly, eyes narrowing slightly at me.

As I opened my mouth to retort, the supposed Earl cut me off. "I had actually expected you to be an overly knowledgeable human that needed silencing. After all, why would a death god run from another of your own kind?"

"Because another death god wanted to kill me?"

"Can't you defend yourself?"

"Oh, another one is chasing after her?" Sebastian inquired.

"I'm retired… So I don't have sufficient means to protect myself at the moment. But that doesn't mean I can't take you on demon! So don't try," I said defensively glaring at Sebastian.

"Oh? Take me where exactly?"

Ignoring his butler's comment, Ciel spoke to me again. "Aren't you too young to retire?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? Isn't it my choice? Besides should YOU really be asking that? What are you, ten?"

"_THIRTEEN!"_

"If I may be so bold to ask, why exactly are you being chased?"

"That blonde reaper with the lawnmower we met on the Campaina was chasing her when Tanaka and I found her,"

In response, Sebastian raised his delicately shaped eyebrow. Thinking about it, that eyebrow is so perfect I bet he spends hours plucking it to achieve that shape.

"Hmm… So I suppose your game involves tormenting him by keeping her within the safety of these walls, guarded by me?"

"It's a win-win situation for her isn't it? I get to enjoy this game in my spare time, gain a new worker, and she stays safe. I can't wait to see his face when he tries to chase her here."

At that, the butler returned his cold, burgundy gaze to me. "Then, would you mind sharing why that certain shinigami is so, forgive the pun, hell bent on attaining you?"

"I tried to fight him when he wanted to claim the soul of my dying mother… Of course, all of that was in vain since she got her soul stolen in the end anyway… Murder… Cold blooded murder," My voice was low and cracked in odd places. I shuddered from the reel of memories in my mind, the brief explanation dragging out the gory scene from before. Now, I could only stand there shaking from the memory, with no Ronald to take my mind off of it.

"Your…mother was murdered? Do shinigami even have mothers?" The Earl asked, his voice different from before, more subdued.

"I think of her as my mother, the woman who took me in. Killed by a demon when I was just meters away! How… Now her souls gone… Never able to reach heaven," I broke off as a few tears rolled down my cheeks. However, I wasn't in the mood for a real crying spree at the moment. I would save that for later, when I'm in bed.

"….Where's the body now?"

"Still… At the house I suppose…"

After exchanging a short glance full of meaning with his butler, Ciel turned back to me, "We'll go with you tomorrow to collect the body and bury it. It would be only appropriate, since she's important to you," Ciel said, his voice filled with, for some reason, empathy.

"Now, come along then little shinigami. Let's go get you dressed and washed up. You'll scare the other servants, looking like that." As I followed the strange demon butler out of the room (he seemed happy enough that he finally understood the situation… Although I can't be sure since his expression never changes…), I turned to give Ciel Phantomhive one last look and watched his small frame, shoulders slumped as if heavily burdened, until the mahogany doors closed and blocked him from my view.

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**Oh yeah, for those interested in how Reisen looks like, I tried my hand at some anime style drawing~ Please search for Reisen Howell on deviant art (I have no idea why I can't post the link here... .)**


	8. That shinigami, the mansion

**A/N: YAOI ALEART! Ahaha nothing serious~ I wrote it because I was feeling romantic and it seemed fun XD Although the rest of the chapter may be a bit boring, please enjoy! Oh and review please ^w^**

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It was night time and I was walking in the rose garden. Everyone seemed to be asleep in the manor, leaving the house dark. The entire garden was black-and-white, leached colourless by the moon. I moved past the hedges of roses, going deeper and deeper into the heart of the maze of rose bushes. As I stopped to indulge myself in the sweet aromatic scents of the roses, a sudden voice broke the silence of the night.

"Why won't society accept our love?" the mysterious voice questioned, rough with suppressed emotion. "Is it not normal for one to love another?" With a jolt, I realized that I actually recognized that low passionate voice. Ronald Knox. What was he doing here? Unconciously almost, I moved to get nearer to the voice. The appropriate reaction would be to turn away and run or at least approach while armed. He might still be angry. He might want to continue our fight. However, ignoring that small voice in the back of my head that screamed at me to turn back, I continued on, my legs carrying me forward as though I was excited to see him.

"Do not fret my love," Another voice replied, just as passionately except this voice was as smooth as silk. "No matter what they say, I will forever love you." A secret rendezvous with his lover? It can't be, though. The loving words that continued to be exchanged sounded like they were taken right out of the play Romeo and Juliet. However, Ronald's partner sounded different somehow. Also vaguely familiar.

As I finally reached the wall of roses that separated me from the two ardent, star crossed lovers, I prepared myself for the sight of the deep voiced beauty that stood on the other side of the hedge with Ronald. Finally, rearing up on my tiptoes, I peered into the scene that my brain almost immediately rejected.

Ronald, locked in an embrace with the stoic, handsome demon butler. Disgusted yet, quite unable to look away, I watched as Sebastian moved his head down to nuzzle Ronald's glossy blonde locks. Then as Ronald looked up into his lover's eyes, their wandering gazes locked and Sebastian moved his face closer and closer and closer until finally they—

"UWAAAAAAAHH!"

I woke up screaming, my eyelids flying open. My face was flushed and I felt sweaty, most likely because of my tossing and turning during the disturbing dream. How on earth could I have ended up dreaming something like that? This was why I hated stressful days. They always gave me nightmares afterwards. As I worked to calm my self down, it didn't help that the door flew open, a mere three seconds since my outburst, revealing the butler himself, in all his glorious demonic glory. I felt my eyes widening as I watched him, my face turned a delicate shade of green. OH MY GOSH. Calm down Reisen calm down. Do not show your weak squeamish side in front of a demon.

"Is there a problem Miss Howell?"

"N-No… Even if there was, why would a demon bother?"

"It is in play with a demon's aesthetics obviously, to follow all orders. And that includes, keeping you safe. Although at the moment, it seems that the only thing bothering the grim reaper is a nightmare. How ironic isn't it~?"

Glaring at the tall butler, I didn't bother to answer. After all, I was too tired from the dream and the events the night before. He dragging my sad, bone tired state to every nook and cranny of the distressingly huge mansion, on the pretext of 'wanting me to familiarize myself with the surroundings', (oh please, I bet the guy was just some sadist). Then I was forced into wearing a humiliating maid outfit for my 'job'. I'm a devine being! Don't I get to retain at least SOME dignity? Then I was further pushed to the limit when the other servants were unleashed on me.

The other maid, Mey Rin seemed to be the spokesperson of 'the dangers of bad eyesight'. She tripped, mixed things up, went crashing into walls and generally gave people with poor eyesight a bad name. However, she seemed glad enough that there was another girl in the household. Seriously, that girl seemed to be running some type of reverse harem…

Finny the gardener seemed like your classic idiot. He had green eyes and blonde hair and spoke in a high happy voice that makes me think that he thinks the world was made up of flowers and cotton candy. Creepily enough, the boy reminds me of Ronald somewhat and clings to me with unnatural strength that a normal human would never be capable of.

Bard however seems like the only pessimist outside of the happy idiot servant trio. He had dirty blonde hair (what's with all the blondes? Is it a fashion trend now or something?) and seemed constantly in danger of destroying the kitchen by randomly pulling out his flamethrower or some other weapon out of thin air and then ranting about cooking.

The last member of the happy trio is a small old man who looks strangely like the driver and interestingly enough, goes by the same name. He is constantly sitting and drinking tea from a cup that never seems to run dry while laughing like Santa Claus. You'd think I'd be used to the weird by now but noo, the weirdness just keeps increasing…

Strangely, I seemed better at the chores than the other 'senior servants' excluding Sebastian of course. Darn demon butler. I can't understand why they're even servants they're pretty useless…

Of course, today, we'd be carrying out the death trite for humans. The final event of their fragile lives. In remembrance of the life I couldn't save. The funeral for Mary Anne Hanglin.


	9. That shinigami, burial

**A/N: Hey there, Dokuro Tenshi here~ If any of you are getting confused over this story, let me just clear a few things up. This story, unless specified, will be told in Reisen's point of view. And despite the fact that Mary Anne is not Reisen's actual mother, she will refer to her as such. Oh and this takes place after the Campaina arc in the manga so the Undertaker (sadly) won't be around TT^TT I'm thinking of putting more of the manga exclusive characters in here rather than the anime so just a heads up. Speaking of that, this chapter will include another familiar face (or faces) XD. Okay please enjoy and review so I'll know how I did :D~**

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Truth be told, I never really understood funerals. I simply couldn't fathom why a bunch of humans had to gather together to cry about a single lost soul. I mean, couldn't they have done that in the comfort of their own homes? Its quite a needless gathering actually. So I opted to go without it. After all, no one else would be coming except us. And another baffling trite of the humans. The bodies of the deceased had to be washed and made over to look nice before being buried. Why? They were going to rot anyway. But, as this is a 'tradition' for humans, for Mother's sake, I shall simply content myself with it.

As we rolled into town in the midnight blue carriage driven by Sebastian, we had to go further than usual as Ciel mentioned that the nearest Undertaker in London was out of business at the moment. How in the world could an _Undertaker_ be out of business? Won't the large traffic of dead provide suitable business for them? I should know, I used to collect souls after all.

I had actually planned to wait outside while Ciel and Sebastian collected the body from the bloodstained house. However as we approached the deceivingly innocent white double story house, I was unable to smell the blood that had been so thick and strong the day before. Blood rarely looses its distinctive smell and even if it does, it would take years. We moved past the broken white picket fence and stood outside the unlocked door. Everything seemed just like how it was left but the air seemed strangely thick with an overwhelming scent of potpourri.

"Hmm. Someone tried to cover the scent of blood and death with the use of scented aromatics," Sebastian commented, once again flaunting his ability of being a know it all.

Suddenly, the door pulled back revealing a pure white figure standing right behind it.

"KYAAAA!"

"UWAAAH!"

"My my, I suppose its not such a surprise to find you here Earl Charles Grey."

"Well, if it isn't Earl Phantomhive~" Charles Grey said to Ciel, who was busy trying to recover his normal heartbeat.

"What are you doing in this house?" I demanded, getting over my brief moment of shock.

In response, the silver haired Earl leant down and peered at me. Smirking slightly, he returned to his original height and beamed. "As the Queen's officer, I was assigned to investigate the murder cases that are happening rampant in London. You are Reisen Howell then? Adoptive daughter of Mary Anne Hanglin?" he asked looking at me again.

"Yes. What's it to you?"

"Ahh~ Your mom's been murdered~"

"No duh." I replied sarcasm dripping from my tone. I pulled my sunhat down, and dragged my coat closer around me. This guy with his never fading grin is starting to unnerve me.

"By being stabbed in the heart, although we can't seem to find any weapons involved. Strange isn't it? Just like all the other cases~"

"Thank you for the information. However, do remind Her Majesty that I will handle the case. So there is no need for your involvement Charles Grey." Ciel said arrogantly, somehow managing to stare down the Queen's officer from his short height.

"I'm just following orders," replied Charles Grey, shrugging. "Oh well, I suppose you're here to collect the body then? Be careful, its messy in there~ Heh. I tried to cover up the scent using potpurri so it won't attract too much attention from the neighbours… I'll pass on your message to the Queen anyway. Good luck, _Guard Dog_~" With a final smirk sent our way, Charles Grey continued on his way out of the house and down the street, leaving us with the body.

After all the preparations had been finished and I was left by the grave, Ciel and Sebastian moved away from me to whisper together. I watched the headstone until the evening sun made it nearly impossible to make out the words in the long dragging shadows. Turning around, I carefully picked my way around the graveyard, stumbling slightly as I neared the demon and child.

~~~No one's POV – Shinigami HQ~~~

"Ronald. Are you ok?"

"Yeah~"

"… You sure?"

"Mmmmhmm"

"… THAT'S IT! What did Will do to you this time? I know he's well, justified in punishing you for losing that soul but he shouldn't have gone so far…"

Annoyed at being pulled out of my daydream, Ronald glanced up at the senior reaper. His blonde hair framed the left side of his excited face while the left was black and pulled into a cornrow. He peered at him worriedly through blue tinted glasses.

"I'm fine Eric senpai, seriously. Will just gave me overtime and set me on writing an apology letter, that's all."

"Huh. Then what's with all the sighing and daydreaming? Its creeping me out man."

"Well, if you must know… I'm in love~!" Ronald announced dreamily.

With a practiced sigh, the older reaper set himself in a chair beside his two toned companion. "Who's it this time? Another one from the General Affairs Department?" Eric Slingby asked wearily.

"Nah, she doesn't work here. She's this cute ex-shinigami living in the human world."

"Wait. Isn't she that girl you tried to pin the lost soul on? You fell for _HER _of all people?"

"Why wouldn't I? You should've seen her fighting, it was awesome~" with a light sigh, Ronald drifted back off to his daydream.

Letting go of a contrastingly gusty sigh of his own, Eric tried to reason with the lovesick boy. "Look, just give it up. She doesn't sound like good news dude."

"No." Ronald said defiantly, his lower lip pushing out in a childish pout.

Rolling his eyes, Eric started to get up, hoping that the boy would get over it soon enough. Its no good mixing with ex-shinigamis after all. As he started to move away, he felt a tug on his jacket sleeve. Looking back at Ronald, he noticed (his heart filling with dread) that the boy's eyes had taken an excited glint.

"Eric senpai you can help me win her over! She's a bit cold but I'm sure that—"

However, Eric could not hear the end of Ronald's plea as William T. Spears' cold voice interrupted Ronald's in mid sentence while gliding into the room. "Ronald. Eric. Return to your stations quickly. There's been another murder. And yet another soul has been stolen."


End file.
